Summer-Time Change and Growth

Summer sure does have a way of taking habits and twisting and turning them into abstract behaviors. Did any of you notice a habit they had around self-care, which may have been altered or thrown out the window in the craziness of summer? Maybe it was as simple as drinking less water, spending more time at parties rather than prepping food, or grabbing a glass of wine here or there?

Someone recently described summer to me, as Christmas on steroids. I certainly got a good chuckle from this, as that is a perfect description of my summer. The “to do” list is never-ending, with weekends filling up before summer solstice even hits the calendar! Parties, BBQs, organizing summer camps for your kids, traveling, and enjoying vacation time describes the months from June through August in my life. How do I find time, in all of that craziness to follow through with self-care?

When time is limited, I find my outlook around food changing slightly.My motto in the summer is: keep things simple. Instead of asking myself, what fun dish can I make tonight, I ask myself, how can I keep it simple? That typically entails grilling all of my meat for the week in one sitting, grabbing carrots, apples, and any fresh fruit or veggies I can grab on the go, while adding a little EEVO to it all. Yep – it really is amazing how simple clean eating can be. While this may not be the most gourmet and exciting way to eat food, it allows for me to maintain high levels of self-care, all while enjoying all of the extra-curricular activities summer has to offer us.

If there have been a few minor (or major) bumps, crashes, and obstacles in your self-care this summer – not to worry! There is always now. NOW is a great time to start self-care, and to create a new habit that works for your lifestyle. I recently read this excerpt from The Power Of Now, and found it profound in understanding how each of our little habits in life, whether they be prepping our food, drinking our water, journaling food, etc., really do lead us to our final destiny.

“If you want to know your past, look into your present conditions. If you want to know your future look into your present actions. You must let go of the old to make way for the new; the old way is gone, never to come back. If you acknowledge this right now and take steps to address it, you will position yourself for lasting success.”